In Vitro Hypoglycemic Activities of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium Strains from Healthy Children's Sources and Their Effect on Stimulating GLP-1 Secretion in STC-1 Cells.

A long-term use of chemical drugs cannot cure type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and their numerous toxic side effects can be harmful to human health. In recent years, probiotics have emerged as a natural resource to replace chemical drugs in alleviating many human ailments. Healthy children's intestines have a lot of colonized Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium, and these beneficial bacteria can help promote overall health. The objective of this study was to isolate potential antidiabetic probiotic strains from healthy children and evaluate their application prospects. Firstly, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains were isolated from healthy children's feces and identified by the pheS or clpC genes with their respective 16S rRNA genes. Then, hydrophobicity, artificial gastrointestinal fluid tolerance, α-Glucosidase and Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory activities of isolated strains were determined, and antioxidant activities and promoting secretion of GLP-1 in STC-1 cells of candidate strains were tested. Results showed that 6 strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were obtained from the feces of healthy children aged 3 years, respectively, including Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L-21 and L-25, Levilactobacillus brevis L-16, Lentilactobacillus buchneri L-9, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum L-8 and L-3, Bifidobacterium bifidum 11-1 and B-84, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum 6-1, 6-2, B42 and B53. The hydrophobicity and auto-aggregation levels of all these strains were higher than 30% and 50%, respectively, and the decrease in the number of colonies of all strains in the artificial gastrointestinal fluid was less than 2 log CFU/mL. Strains L-3, L-8, L-9, L-21, 6-1, 11-1, B53 and B84 were selected based on their high α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and DPP-IV inhibitory activity, and results of the antioxidant capacity assay showed that the remaining strains all had intense comprehensive antioxidant activity. Additionally, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L-21 and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum B-53 had the most substantial prompting effect on GLP-1 secretion in the STC-1 cell line. These results indicated that Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L-21 and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum B-53 could be used as a potential antidiabetic strain; thus, its application as a food supplement and drug ingredient could be recommended after in vivo mitigation of type II diabetes test.

Reprogramming macrophage by targeting VEGF and CD40 potentiates OX40 immunotherapy.

The low clinical response rate of checkpoint blockades, such as PD-1 and CTLA-4, highlighted the requirements of agonistic antibodies to boost optimal T cell responses. OX40, a co-stimulatory receptor on the T cells, plays a crucial role in promoting T cell survival and differentiation. However, the clinical efficacy of anti-OX40 agonistic antibodies was unimpressive. To explore the mechanism underlying the action of anti-OX40 agonists to improve the anti-tumor efficacy, we analyzed the dynamic changes of tumor-infiltrating immune cells at different days post-treatments using single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq). In this study, we found that tumor-infiltrating regulatory T (Treg) cells were reduced after two rounds of anti-OX40 treatment, but the increase of infiltration and activation of CD8+ effector T cells, as well as M1 polarization in the tumor were only observed after three rounds of treatments. Moreover, our group first analyzed the antitumor effect of anti-OX40 treatments on regulating the macrophages and discovered the dynamic changes of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CD40 signaling pathways on macrophages, indicating their possibility to being potential combination targets to improve the anti-OX40 agonists efficacy. The combination of VEGFR inhibitors or anti-CD40 agonist antibody with anti-OX40 agonists exhibited more remarkable inhibition of tumor growth. Therefore, the mechanism-driven combination of anti-OX40 agonists with VEGFR inhibitors or anti-CD40 agonists represented promising strategies.

Perceptions of barriers to and facilitators of exercise rehabilitation in adults with lung transplantation: a qualitative study in China.

BACKGROUND: Exercise is crucial for pulmonary rehabilitation and improving the prognosis of lung transplantation (LTx) patients. However, many LTx patients in China have low exercise tolerance and compliance, and the reasons behind these challenges have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, this qualitative research aims to identify the barriers to and facilitators of exercise rehabilitation in LTx patients. METHODS: From January to July 2023, 15 stable LTx patients were recruited and participated in in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews at Henan Provincial People's Hospital. The interview transcripts were analyzed using the COM-B model and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). RESULTS: Six general themes including 19 barriers and 14 facilitators for the exercise rehabilitation of LTx patients were identified based on the COM-B model and TDF. The barriers to exercise included physical limitations, insufficient exercise endurance, lack of knowledge, and lack of motivation. The facilitators of exercise included motivation, self-efficacy, perceived significance of exercise rehabilitation, and social support. CONCLUSION: The study offers detailed insight into the development and implementation of exercise rehabilitation intervention strategies for LTx patients. By combining COM-B model and TDF, the study provides strong evidence that active behavior change strategies are required for LTx patients to promote their participation in exercise rehabilitation. Professional support, pulmonary rehabilitation training, behavior change technology, and digital health tools are essential for strengthening the evidence system for reporting exercise efficacy and effectiveness.

Halogen-bonding boosting the high performance X-ray imaging of organic scintillators.

Organic scintillators with efficient X-ray excited luminescence are essential for medical diagnostics and security screening. However, achieving excellent organic scintillation materials is challenging due to low X-ray absorption coefficients and inferior radioluminescence (RL) intensity. Herein, supramolecular interactions are incorporated, particularly halogen bonding, into organic scintillators to enhance their radioluminescence properties. By introducing heavy atoms (X = Cl, Br, I) into 9,10-bis(4-pyridyl)anthracene (BPA), the formation of halogen bonding (BPA-X) enhances their X-ray absorption coefficient and restricts the molecular vibration and rotation, which boosts their RL intensity. The RL intensity of BPA-Cl and BPA-Br fluorochromes increased by over 2 and 6.3 times compared to BPA, respectively. Especially, BPA-Br exhibits an ultrafast decay time of 8.25 ns and low detection limits of 25.95 ± 2.49 nGy s-1. The flexible film constructed with BPA-Br exhibited excellent X-ray imaging capabilities. Furthermore, this approach is also applicable to organic phosphors. The formation of halogen bonding in bromophenyl-methylpyridinium iodide (PYI) led to a fourfold increase in RL intensity compared to bromophenyl-methyl-pyridinium (PY). It suggests that halogen bonding serves as a promising and effective molecular design strategy for the development of high-performance organic scintillator materials, presenting new opportunities for their applications in radiology and security screening.

Platelet extracellular vesicles: Darkness and light of autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by a breakdown of immune tolerance, leading to inflammation and irreversible end-organ tissue damage. Platelet extracellular vesicles are cellular elements that are important in blood circulation and actively participate in inflammatory and immune responses through intercellular communication and interactions between inflammatory cells, immune cells, and their secreted factors. Therefore, platelet extracellular vesicles are the "accelerator" in the pathological process of autoimmune diseases; however, this robust set of functions of platelet extracellular vesicles has also prompted new advances in therapeutic strategies for autoimmune diseases. In this review, we update fundamental mechanisms based on platelet extracellular vesicles communication function in autoimmune diseases. We also focus on the potential role of platelet extracellular vesicles for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Some recent studies have found that antiplatelet aggregation drugs, specific biological agents can reduce the release of platelet extracellular vesicles. Platelet extracellular vesicles can also serve as vehicles to deliver drugs to targeted cells. It seems that we can try to silence or inhibit microRNA carried by platelet extracellular vesicles transcription and regulate the target cells to treat autoimmune diseases as platelet extracellular vesicles can transfer microRNA to other cells to regulate immune-inflammatory responses. Hopefully, the information presented here will provide hope for patients with autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune diseases patients are characterized by autoimmune disorders, whose immune system cannot distinguish between auto- and foreign-antigens. Autoimmune diseases is the third significant disease threatening human health after cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, the exact etiology of autoimmune diseases has yet to be fully elucidated. Several studies have shown that platelet extracellular vesicle content is elevated in multiple autoimmune disorders and positively correlates with disease activity. However, our knowledge about the details of the mechanisms still remains limited and fragmentary. This article updates the communication function of platelet extracellular vesicles in accelerating autoimmune and inflammatory responses. The interesting thing is every coin has two sides. We put forward a new treatment idea for AD based on the particular volume and powerful intercellular communication function of platelet extracellular vesicles. Inhibition of the communication function of platelet extracellular vesicles seems to be considered in the future, or silence or block miRNA of platelet extracellular vesicles involved in the pathogenesis of AD. We can even use it as a drug carrier to deliver the drug to the relevant target cells, thereby enhancing the role of the medicine in regulating immune response and inhibiting inflammation. This paper not only provides a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases but also provides theoretical support for the use of platelet extracellular vesicles to achieve targeted therapy.

Site- and Structure-Specific Glycosylation Signatures of Bovine, Caprine, Porcine, and Human Milk-Derived Extracellular Vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound vesicles released by living cells. As vesicles for macromolecule transmission and intercellular communication, EVs are broadly applied in clinical diagnosis and biomimetic drug delivery. Milk-derived EVs (MEVs) are an ideal choice for scale-up applications because they exhibit biocompatibility and are easily obtained. Herein, intact glycopeptides in MEVs from bovines, caprines, porcines, and humans were comprehensively analyzed by high-resolution mass spectrometry using the sceHCD, followed by the EThcD fragment method, revealing that protein glycosylation is abundant and heterogeneous in MEVs. The dominant glycans in all MEVs were sialic acid-modified N-linked glycans (over 50%). A couple of species-specific glycans were also characterized, which are potentially markers of different original EVs. Interestingly, the Neu5Gc-modified glycans were enriched in caprine milk-derived EVs (58 ± 2%). Heterogeneity of MEV protein glycosylation was observed for glycosites and glycan compositions, and the structural heterogeneity of protein glycosylation was also identified and validated. The glycosignatures of EV biogenesis- and endocytosis-related proteins (CD63 and MFGE8) were significantly different in these four species. Overall, we comprehensively characterized the glycosylation signature of MEVs from four different species and provided insight into protein glycosylation related to drug target delivery.

Bio Informatics Analysis of the Relationship Between Mammalian Target of Rapamycin and Colorectal Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to promote the medical treatment of colorectal cancer in our country and to save the lives of patients with colorectal cancer by studying mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the biologic information analysis of colorectal cancer. METHODS: We analyzed mTOR expression and survival differences using data from Coad & read from the TCGA public database and explored the coexpression regulatory network of mTOR. mTOR-regulated mirnas were screened using the Linked Omics database. In addition, we explored the association of mTOR with drug sensitivity, immune cell correlations, microsatellite deletions, tumor mutational burden, and mutational analysis. RESULTS: The expression and survival of mTOR were significant different in colorectal cancer, and were related to the sensitivity of Bleomycin, Cisplatin and Gemcitabine. mTOR is associated with dendritic cell activation, NK cell dormancy, dendritic cell dormancy, and eosinophil granulocyte. mTOR is associated with microsatellite deletions, and tumor mutational load. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings, we consumer mTOR as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer.

Characterization of immune microenvironment in patients with HPV-positive and negative head and neck cancer.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) status strongly predicts positive clinical outcomes in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC); however, the potential reasons have not been fully elucidated. Here, we characterized the immune context in HPV+ and HPV- HNSCC by integrating scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq data. In scRNA-seq data, HPV + HNSCC displayed increased B cells, plasma cells, CD4+ effector T cells, and decreased macrophages and mast cells. This finding was validated using bulk-cell data. Plasma cells predicted improved survival, and macrophages were associated with survival disadvantage. 1403 upregulated and 1877 downregulated differential expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained. Gene Ontology and KEGG enrichment analysis showed these DEGs focused on cytokine-related activity. Transcriptional analysis of B and plasma cells revealed associations between B-cell surface marker FCER2 and improved survival. In vitro assays confirmed the ability of FCER2 to suppress cellular proliferation and migration of HPV + tumors. In conclusion, our analysis revealed a heterogeneous tumor immune environment (TME) for HPV+ and HPV- HNSCC. Further, FCER2+ B cells contribute to antitumor immunity.

Adsorption properties of active biochar: Overlooked role of the structure of biomass.

Vascular plants account for more than 80% of all biomass on earth and are potential precursors of biochar. However, the changes of vascular bundle have received less attention during the preparation of biochar. In this study, loofah sponge (LS), tangerine pith (TP), and rhodiola rosea (RR), were selected to show the role of vascular bundle in biochar through the pretreatment of vascular bundle. The results showed that the active biochar prepared with vascular bundle protection had high adsorption capacity for methylene blue (LS: 953.53 mg/g, TP: 714.77 mg/g, RR: 583.49 mg/g). The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method was used to measure the specific surface area (SSA) of active biochar. The SSA of LS active biochar prepared by vascular bundle protection was 2262.67 m2/g, and has high adsorption properties under different conditions. In conclusion, the protection of vascular bundle during biochar preparation is important to improve the utilization of biological resources and environmental adsorption.

Tourists' Food Involvement, Place Attachment, and Destination Loyalty: The Moderating Role of Lifestyle.

Destination food has been increasingly appealing to tourists within adjacent markets. This trend has been widely recognised by destination marketers; however, scholars have paid limited attention to tourists' psychological and behavioural responses to destination food. Taking Shunde as the research site, using a questionnaire-based survey method equipped with the techniques of measurement modelling, path analysis, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis, this study explores how tourists' food involvement affects their place attachment and destination loyalty, as well as the differentiation of tourists with different lifestyles. The results show that food involvement significantly affects place attachment and destination loyalty. These relationships are differentiated by tourists' lifestyles. This study contributes to the psychological research of tourist behaviours and provides insights into destination marketing in the context of food tourism.

Sleep duration is associated with depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms have become one of the most common mental health problems in adolescents. Identifying potential factors associated with adolescent depressive symptoms could be practical and essential for early intervention programs. The association between sleep duration and depressive symptoms in adolescents is inconsistent and needs further exploration. METHODS: A total of 7330 participants aged 10-19 years were included in this study. Sleep duration was categorized into <7 h, 7-8 h, 8-9 h, and ≥ 9 h per day. The Chinese version of the Center for Epidemiology Scale for Depression was used to assess depressive symptoms. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between sleep duration and the risk of depressive symptoms. Restrictive cubic spline analyses were conducted to evaluate the dose-response relationship between sleep duration and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Thirty-four percent of the participants suffered from depressive symptoms. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in adolescents with sleep durations of <7 h, 7-8 h, 8-9 h, and ≥9 h per day was 52.66 %, 37.80 %, 27.55 %, and 20.49 %, respectively. After adjusting for potential covariates, long sleep duration was significantly associated with a decreased risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents. A nonlinear relationship between sleep duration and depressive symptoms was identified. CONCLUSIONS: Long sleep duration is independently associated with a decreased risk of depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents.

The potential of Chinese medicines in the treatment of hyperuricemia.

The annual incidence of gout is increasing along with lifestyle and dietary changes. Accumulation of urate crystals in joints and tissues when the amount of uric acid exceeds its saturation concentration causes acute inflammation that leads to gout. Reducing the serum uric acid concentration is the key to treating gout. Allopurinol, febuxostat, benzbromarone, and other drugs are effective, but side effects of treatment such as toxicity and recurrence after drug withdrawal cannot be ignored. Recent studies have found that many Chinese medicines are effective and safe, provide durable efficacy, and are associated with low recurrence rates. This article reviews recent investigations of Chinese medicines for lowering uric acid, including components such as berberine, luteolin, and others; single medicines such as Smilax glabra Roxb., Reynoutria japonica Houtt., and Plantago asiatica L.; and compounds such as Wuling Powder and Compound Tufuling Granules. Mechanisms of lowering uric acid, including inhibiting uric acid production and promoting uric acid excretion are discussed. Clinical studies and basic research are reviewed.

Morphology and Microwave-Absorbing Performances of Rubber Blends with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Molybdenum Disulfide.

This study details microwave-absorbing materials made of natural rubber/nitrile butadiene rubber (NR/NBR) blends with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). The mechanical blending method and the influences of fabrication on the morphology and microwave-absorbing performance of resulting compounds were logically investigated. It was found that interfacial differences between the fillers and matrix promote the formation of MWCNTs and MoS2 networks in NR/NBR blends, thus improving microwave-absorbing performance. Compared with direct compounding, masterbatch-based two-step blending is more conducive to forming interpenetrating networks of MWCNTs/MoS2, endowing the resulting composite with better microwave attenuation capacity. Composites with MWCNTs in NR and MoS2 in NBR demonstrate the best microwave-absorbing performance, with a minimum reflection loss of -44.54 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of 3.60 GHz. Exploring the relationship between morphology and electromagnetic loss behavior denotes that such improvement results from the selective distribution of dual fillers, inducing networking and multi-component-derived interfacial polarization enhancement.

Fear of progression among postoperative patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer: a cross-sectional survey in China.

BACKGROUND: More lung cancer cases are becoming diagnosed earlier in recent years. The diagnosis is often accompanied by fear of progression (FoP). There is a clear research gap in the existing literature on FoP and the most frequent concerns in newly diagnosed lung cancer patients. OBJECTIVE: To identify the status and factors related to FoP in newly diagnosed Chinese lung cancer patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung cancer resection. METHODS: A cross-sectional design with convenience sampling was used in this study. Participants (N = 188) with newly diagnosed lung cancer (≤ 6 months) at one hospital in Zhengzhou were recruited. A demographic questionnaire, Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form, Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire were used to assess characteristics, FoP, social support, coping style, and patient illness perceptions. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with FoP. RESULTS: The mean score of FoP was 35.39 ± 8.03. There are 56.4% of the patients (scores ≥ 34) have a clinically dysfunctional level of FoP. FoP was higher in young (18-39 years) than middle-aged patients (40-59 years) and elderly patients (≧60 years) (P = 0.004). Patients aged 40-59 years showed significantly higher fear of family-related concerns (P < 0.001), a fear of potential harm from medications (P = 0.001); Patients aged 18-39 years and 40-59 years showed significantly higher fears of work-related concerns (P = 0.012). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that patients' age, the time from surgery and SSRS score were found to be independently associated with higher FoP. CONCLUSIONS: High FoP is a frequently reported problem among newly diagnosed lung cancer patients, especially those less than 60 years old. Professional psychoeducation, psychological interventions, and personalized support are needed for patients with a high FoP.

Using the Sustainable Development Capacity of Key Counties to Guide Rural Revitalization in China.

Counties are the basic unit for addressing unbalanced development in a region, revitalizing rural areas, and promoting the integrated development of urban and rural areas. Despite the importance of county-level research, few studies have been conducted research at such a small scale. To address this gap in knowledge, this study constructs an evaluation system to measure the county sustainable development capacity (CSDC) of counties in China, identify constraints to development, and provide policy suggestions to promote the counties' long-term stable development. Specifically, the CSDC indicator system was based on the regional theory of sustainable development and included economic aggregation capacity, social development capacity, and environmental carrying capacity. This framework was applied to 103 key counties to receive assistance in pursuing rural revitalization in 10 provinces in western China. The AHP-Entropy Weighting Method and TOPSIS model were employed to inform the scores of CSDC and its secondary indicators, and ArcGIS 10.8 was used to portray the spatial distribution of CSDC and to classify these key counties into categories that guided specific policy recommendations. The results demonstrate a high degree of unbalanced and inadequate development in these counties and that rural revitalization efforts can be targeted to increase the speed of development. It is crucial to follow the recommendations that conclude this paper to promote sustainable development in areas that have been lifted out of poverty and to revive rural areas.

Gut-microbiome-expressed 3ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase degrades estradiol and is linked to depression in premenopausal females.

Estradiol decline can result in depressive disorders in females; nevertheless, the causes of this decline are unclear. In this study, we isolated estradiol-degrading Klebsiella aerogenes from the feces of premenopausal females with depression. In mice, gavaging with this strain led to estradiol decline and depression-like behaviors. The gene encoding the estradiol-degrading enzyme in K. aerogenes was identified as 3ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3ß-HSD). Heterologously expressing 3ß-HSD resulted in Escherichia coli obtaining the ability to degrade estradiol. Gavaging mice with 3ß-HSD-expressing E. coli decreased their serum estradiol levels, causing depression-like behaviors. The prevalence of K. aerogene and 3ß-HSD was higher in premenopausal women with depression than in those without depression. These results suggest that the estradiol-degrading bacteria and 3ß-HSD enzymes are potential intervention targets for depression treatment in premenopausal women.

Effect of Dispersant on Disperse Dyeing in Silicone Waterless Dyeing System.

Traditional water-based dyeing of polyester textiles usually generates burdensome processes and a great deal of wastewater, which can no longer meet the green and sustainable developments in the textile dyeing industry. In the silicone waterless dyeing system, polyester textiles can be dyed with disperse dye without water. However, the dyeing performance of polyester textiles is influenced by the dispersant. In this study, the relationship between the properties of dispersants and disperse dyeing performance was studied. When the amount of dispersant NNO (2-Naphthalenesulfonic acid) was 1.2%, the exhaustion of disperse red 177 and the final K/S value of the dyed fabric improved to 94.18% and 14.73, respectively. However, the exhaustion of disperse red 177 was reduced from 90.73% to 82.61%, and the final K/S value of the dyed fabric was decreased from 14.77 to 14.01 when the dosage of MF (Naphthalenesulfonic acid) was 1.2%. Compared with different dyeing systems, the final uptake of disperse red 177 was 93.81% and 94.18% in traditional water-based and silicone waterless dyeing systems and the K/S value of the dyed fabric was almost the same. The washing and rubbing fastness (wet and dry) of the dyed fabric were found to be at a level of 4 or 4-5, and the light fastness of the dyed fabric was 3-4. If only the dispersant was added in the silicone waterless dyeing system, there was no leveling problems on dyed samples. Moreover, the maximum absorption wavelength of disperse red 177 was not changed after adding the dispersant. With an increasing amount of dispersant NNO, the solubility of the dye in the silicone solvent decreased, but it increased with an increasing amount of dispersant MF. In the relationship between dye exhaustion and dye solubility in a silicone waterless dyeing system, the exhaustion of dye was linearly and inversely proportional to the dye solubility. A dispersant with better hydrophilicity can decrease the solubility of the dye in dyeing media, and the dyeing performance of dye is better. Compared with previous studies, the exhaustion of dye was consistent with the ClogP value (hydrophobic constant) of the dyeing accelerant. Therefore, a dispersant with high hydrophilicity can reduce the solubility of dye and improve the exhaustion of disperse dye in a silicone waterless dyeing system. Moreover, the color fastness of the dyed fabric did not change before and after adding the dispersant.

Quantification analysis of microplastics released from disposable polystyrene tableware with fluorescent polymer staining.

Ingesting microplastics (MPs) from plastic tableware is an important source of health risk to human bodies. However, the comprehensive information of MPs released from disposable tableware has not been explored. Herein, a new visual quantification method for polystyrene MPs is proposed with carbon nitride fluorescent polymers staining, which can overcome the disadvantages of high signal background and photobleaching derived from organic dyes staining. Combining with fluorescence microscope and ImageJ software, the quantity, shape, and size distribution of MPs carried by the brand-new disposable polystyrene tableware (DPT) samples before usage and released from the clean DPT samples in different simulated usage scenes were studied. The brand-new DPT samples were found to carry a large number of MPs particles and the clean DPT samples could release MPs during usage. Fiber and fragment are the main morphology of the detected MPs and fiber accounts for 45-52 %. The particles with size <50 µm are the majority of the detected MPs and the distribution fraction of MPs particles is gradually decreased with the raising of particle size within 50 µm. The released MPs particles are increased with the raising of contact time and temperature, and greatly boosted for the DPT samples with cracks. The DPT samples are more like to release MPs in weak acidic condition (pH 4.0) than in weak alkaline (pH 8.3) and neutral (pH 7.0) conditions. The obtained results help to assess the food safety of tack-out food and the health risk of MPs exposure to human.

Enhancing organic selenium content and antioxidant activities of soy sauce using nano-selenium during soybean soaking.

Nano-selenium has a greater potential than inorganic selenium in preventing selenium-deficiency diseases due to its higher safety. In this study, spherical nano-selenium particles (53.8 nm) were prepared using sodium selenite, ascorbic acid and chitosan. Selenium-enriched soy sauces were prepared by soaking soybean in nano-selenium and sodium selenite solutions (2-10 mg/L), respectively. Total selenium and organic selenium contents of soy sauces prepared by nano-selenium and sodium selenite were increased by 32-191-fold and 29-173-fold compared to the control (without selenium), and organic selenium accounted for over 90% of total selenium. Soy sauce prepared using 6 mg/L nano-selenium had the strongest antioxidant activities, which were 9.25-28.02% higher than the control. Nano-selenium (6 mg/L) markedly enhanced the koji's enzyme activities (9.76-33.59%), then the latter promoted the release of total phenolics (27.54%), total flavonoids (27.27%) and the formation of free amino acids (16.19%), Maillard reaction products (24.50%), finally the antioxidant activities of selenium-enriched soy sauce were enhanced.